The Survey Method
Lower Taxes, More Health Care, Ban Guns or Smoking!
What is the modern politician to do?
What idea should he or she support?
They might support the idea that appeals to their conscience or values!!
DON'T BE RIDICULOUS!
TAKE A POLL!
Is there a politician left who takes a position without consulting his or her pollsters?
Why Surveys and Polls?
Surveys are a widely used method to gather scientific information about how people feel about a particular issue. They are useful in determining correlations between sets of beliefs and perhaps giving hints to cause and effect relationships.
They can dispel myths about how people feel about a popular topic.
Designing the Questionnaire
What is the purpose of the Questionnaire: What do you want to find out and will the interpretation be clear?
What kind of questions will you use:
Open-ended? Vs. Close ended?
|
Hints About Writing Items Address a Single Issue Per Item Avoid Bias Make Alternatives Clear Beware of Social Desirability Tendencies Determine the Format of the Item Open Ended, Likert Scale (1 to 7), Small Set of Clear Alternatives, Mutually Exclusive and Exhaustive Determine How the Data Will Be Analyzed |
 |
